One year on, the 24-kilometer Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link is rewriting the rules of travel in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. By cutting the commute between Shenzhen and Zhongshan from two hours to just 30 minutes, this engineering feat of two bridges, two artificial islands and an eight-lane underwater tunnel has unlocked new rhythms for business, daily life and cross-city collaboration.
Since its opening, traffic has surged. Over 31 million vehicles rolled across the link in 2023, and 2024 is already on pace with more than 16 million crossings to date. On May 1, a record 181,600 vehicles made the journey in a single day, marking growing momentum for regional mobility.
Beyond vehicles, the link has smoothed administrative pathways: over 300 cross-city government service items are now available between Shenzhen and Zhongshan, slashing red tape for residents and companies. Meanwhile, Zhongshan has consolidated more than 48,000 acres of industrial land, offering scalable, cost-effective manufacturing space for enterprises.
"We moved our manufacturing base to Zhongshan while keeping our headquarters in Shenzhen," says Liao Lei, manager of a local electronic equipment company. "We are very confident about the future." And the numbers back him up: in 2024, net enterprise relocations from Shenzhen to Zhongshan reached 168 – more than triple last year's total.
As the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link approaches its first birthday, its real legacy may lie in the connections it forges – turning travel time into opportunity and weaving the Greater Bay Area ever tighter into a global innovation hub.
Reference(s):
China's Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link deepens Greater Bay Area integration
cgtn.com
